Drone Photo Awards 2024 Winners Showcase Allure of Aerial Photography

Oct 01, 2024

Jeremy Gray

Left: Eight people in bright orange suits float among large ice chunks in dark, icy water. Right: Landscape view of a rugged, barren, and textured terrain under a purple sky with distant mountains.

Following yesterday’s feature highlighting the 2024 Siena International Photo Awards (SIPA) winners, it’s time to showcase the winners of the Siena Drone Photo Awards 2024.

Content warning: One of the winning photos shows a mass grave in Ukraine. While no dead bodies are directly visible, the image may still be disturbing to some readers.

The Drone Photo Awards, a leading international competition celebrating aerial photography, has named Israeli photographer Gilad Topaz the grand prize winner for their image, Drifting in Space. Coincidentally, last year’s grand prize winner was also an Israeli photographer.

Aerial view of nine people in red suits floating in dark, icy water surrounded by broken ice chunks and snow. The stark contrast between the bright red suits and the black water with white ice creates an eye-catching composition. — ‘Drifting in Space’ by Gilad Topaz. This grand prize-winning photo was shot in the Baltic Sea in Sweden. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards

Topaz’s stunning winning photo shows Topaz and fellow adventurers floating in the frigid Baltic Sea in Sweden, donned in specialized orange suits to survive the harsh, surreal conditions.

The winning photo was selected from a pool of 4,000 entries submitted by over 2,000 photographers from 113 countries. Alongside Topaz’s grand prize winner, the jurors selected winners across multiple categories, including Abstract, Nature, People, Series, Sport, Urban, Wedding, and Wildlife. There is also a video category in the competition. All category winners are featured below, save for the People category winner, which is Topaz’s grand prize photo.

A vivid aerial view of a river delta forming an abstract, tree-like pattern with vibrant yellow, green, and dark blue colors. The intricate branching patterns resemble a tree’s canopy, creating a striking natural artwork against a dark, flowing landscape. — ‘Tree of Life’ by Isabella Tabacchi — Abstract category winner. ‘An aerial view of nature’s artistry in Iceland’s highlands. Grooves, rivers, and vegetation converge to form a tree-like pattern, showcasing nature’s creativity as it paints an intricate artwork against the rugged Icelandic landscape,’ the Siena Awards explain. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards

Aerial view of a barren, rugged landscape at dusk, featuring winding ridges that converge toward a solitary hilltop formation. The sky is tinged with shades of pink and purple, and distant snowy mountains are visible on the horizon. — ‘Ground Vein’ by Xiaoying Shi — Nature category winner. ‘Fascinated by the unique and captivating geological formations of Factory Butte, Utah, Xiaoying had visited the site three times before. Upon acquiring a drone, he wasted no time and returned for another shoot. It wasn’t until the third day that he finally encountered the warm, low light he had been seeking, resulting in a stronger and more attractive texture effect,’ Siena Awards. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards

Aerial view of a cemetery with numerous graves arranged in rows. Several black body bags line a path along the bottom of the image, suggesting recently deceased individuals. Some graves are adorned with flowers, indicating recent visits by mourners. — ‘Bucha, City of Death’ by Carol Guzy — People category winner. This image shows corpses in body bags lined up in a mass grave in Bucha, Ukraine. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards

An aerial view of a large flock of flamingos congregating near the shore of a richly colored, reddish-brown body of water, with the reddish hue blending into lighter shades of brown and orange. The birds' pink feathers contrast sharply against the dark water. — ‘Red Planet Flamingos’ by Paul McKenzie. This is a single shot from McKenzie’s ‘Series’ category winning entries. The rest of his images are available here. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards

Aerial view of a skateboarder performing a trick on a unique, keyhole-shaped concrete ramp in an otherwise empty skate park, casting a shadow on the smooth, light-colored surface. — ‘Minimalist Action’ by Alex Berasategi — Sport category winner. This aerial skateboarding image was captured in Berasategi’s hometown, Azpeitia, Spain, during a first-anniversary shoot at the local skate park. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards

Aerial view of a modern, futuristic skyscraper emerging through thick clouds. The building features a sleek, curved design with multiple tiered, metallic facades converging to a pointed top, creating a shape reminiscent of a ship's bow cutting through the fog. — ‘Rocket’ by Yuriy Stolypin — Urban category winner. Stolypin captured this image in Saint Petersburg, Russia. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards

Aerial view of a couple kissing inside a vintage white convertible car with the top open, parked on green grass. The woman holds a bouquet of sunflowers and other flowers. The car has a classic design and is adorned with wedding decorations. — ‘Love From Above’ by Joanna Zdancewicz. Wedding category winner. This charming photo shows newlyweds sharing a kiss inside a Volkswagen Beetle. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards

A small shark swims above a large whale that is partially submerged in clear blue water. The scales on the whale are visible as the sunlight penetrates the water, casting light and shadows. The contours of both the shark and whale are distinct against the serene aquatic backdrop. — ‘Ocean Clean Up’ by Toby Nicol — Wildlife category winner. This image, captured off the coast of Perth, Australia, shows a massive sperm whale stranded on the beach. After a four-day struggle, the whale succumbed and became food for animals, including the tiger shark shown here. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards

All the Drone Photo Awards 2024 winners and second-place finishers are featured in the ongoing Siena Awards Festival at the Museo di Storia Naturale in Siena, Italy. The exhibition is open now until November 24th.

Image credits: Siena Awards. Individual photographers are credited in the image captions.